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"My review of this project comes from the angle of a casual woodworker who has never tried such a major project utilizing plans such as these. This was a very enjoyable project which was completed mostly on partial weekends over a period of nearly 3 months. Part of the problem was a limited amount of work space to work on such large pieces. Certainly an experienced woodworker with more time would be able to complete this much faster.

"The first change I made was to use MDF rather than the recommended plywood. While this resulted in a heavier product it was both cheaper and easier to work with. A couple caveats: The write up on the web site leads one to believe that the bed only requires 3 pieces of plywood. The fact is that pretty much double that is required for all the components - a complete materials list would have been useful and prevented surprises after receiving the plans. The write up also states that only basic tools are required. This is almost true. Much of the work requires a router which I would not classify as basic.

"At first glance the plans are intimidating but once you start they begin to make increasingly more sense and are not really that difficult to understand. I made one minor change and rounded off the sharp point on the sides behind the "front seat" for safety reasons. Another warning: Being a novice I followed the plans carefully. There is a section showing where to pre-drill the holes in the pieces. I followed these carefully to get them exact but during assembly I discovered some of the holes were not in a usable location and had to redo them based on the actual fit. Check how the pieces will fit together before blindly drilling holes!

"Another suggestion: drill some finger holes in the mattress base to make it easier to lift when in place. Making it in 2 pieces might also be convenient if you think you will want to use under the bed for storage.

"I used a latex enamel indoor/outdoor paint following priming except for the silver parts where I used an automotive spray paint. Also the main colour is yellow rather than red as was requested to match the décor.

"Again, this was a most enjoyable project and the reaction from my grandson made it all worthwhile."

- Jim from Fredericton, NB

RACE CAR BED (Australian style)

After receiving the set of plans I set about reading, preparing and studying the information. Deciding to make the bed out of MDF and having to adjust the width to suit our mattress sizes here in Australia, I set off on making 6mm MDF templates of all the major components to ensure exactness of matching parts when cutting and routing the final materials.

As you can see in the photos I made a few changes to the design by reshaping the rear wings on the spoiler, rounding off the air intake to prevent any sharp edges, changing the shape of the lighting holes in the toybox lid and reshaping the front grill and bumper. Behind the lights and grill holes I used aluminium checker plate sprayed black to give it a more automotive look.

The design work on the side comes from the Holden Racing Team V8 touring cars here in Australia - General Motors in the US and Canada... There web site for reference www.hrt.com.au

A fabulous project that became a labour of love on many late nights and weekends, the results are stunning and I have one very excited little boy (Jack) who couldn't stop saying "Daddy finished my car bed!!" All the hard work was worth the time spent as the pleasure and excitement in the eyes of our son is priceless.

Thanks for the plans and keep up the good work. My wife and I are due to have a little girl in January so maybe a dolls house or a canopy bed or...

Regards
Steve Doughty

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